The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has accredited its first three aftercare organizations for 2013: Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care in Palm City, Fla.; New Vocations in Marysville, Ohio; and Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue in Norco, Calif. These facilities are now eligible to receive financial support from the TAA for the ongoing care of retired Thoroughbreds.

With all eyes squarely focused on Churchill Downs last Friday and Saturday, a talented and tested colt homebred by one of Thoroughbred racing’s most esteemed partnerships emerged to capture the 139th Kentucky Derby early Saturday evening with a powerful stretch run.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Jackson Bend, who was scheduled to enter stud this year but had his breeding career put on hold due to lingering discomfort from an injury suffered last summer, has returned to training.

All Too Hard, the four-time Australian Group 1 winner who is a half-brother to Horse of the Year Black Caviar, has retired from racing, according to Australian news reports.

Vinery Stud announced the 3-year-old’s retirement on Sunday, with general manager Peter Orton telling media that “The horse has got nothing left to prove.”

All Too Hard, a son of Casino Prince and the Desert Sun mare Helsinge, will stand at Vinery this year for $66,000 in Australian currency, or about $67,591.

Nehro, runner up in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, died of colic Saturday morning.

A 5-year-old son of Mineshaft, Nehro had been showing signs of discomfort in his stall at Churchill Downs earlier in the morning, and his condition “spiraled badly” according to trainer Steve Asmussen. Nehro died en route to a nearby clinic.

“I am deeply saddened,” said owner Ahmed Zayat. “Nehro was my favorite horse whom I had a deep bond with. Everyone who came in contact with this horse loved him. He cannot be replaced, and I’m devastated.”

Joy Gilbert photo courtesy of Spendthrift FarmMalibu Moon

Sitting in the interview room at Churchill Downs on Saturday evening, Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps averted his gaze to watch a nearby replay of the 139th Kentucky Derby over and over. Each time, the result was the same—Orb, the homebred colt he owns in partnership with his cousin, Stuart S. Janney III, splashing home in the mud to overpower a strong field of 3-year-olds in America's most famed race.

The replay wasn't getting old, though.

A full field of 20, headed by favored Orb and unbeaten Verrazano, will contest the Grade 1, $2 million Kentucky Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Below is a closer look at the individual pedigrees and backgrounds of this year's entrants, in post position order.

The Kentucky Derby will be the first start at a mile and a quarter for each of the 20 horses expected to enter the gate for Saturday’s race.

With no previous form at the classic distance on which to base an opinion when analyzing the Derby horses, one of the most important factors will be their pedigrees, which can be a telling indicator of who might succeed when stretched out to ten furlongs.

The Kentucky Derby carries a purse of $2 million, but America’s most famous race can pay further dividends for the connections of the winner’s sire.

The stallions represented by Kentucky Derby winners – particularly those early in their stud careers – typically see significant fee increases the following season and can also garner larger books filled with higher-quality mares.